A wacky writer's journal.

A Square Foot of Happyness

Yes, happiness is deliberately spelt incorrect. Ever since I watched ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, I have begun to cherish the little nothings of life. I have begun to recall happiness in only one form. That is one movie that tip-toed on my soul and never left. It has the quality to cling on to your senses long after you have lived it. Akin to rich dark chocolate. The movie left my heart at a mild 30 degree Celsius. A beautiful piece of art. A strong recommendation if one has not watched it yet.

The transport at my workplace has lost all lucidity. I now work for 12-13 hours everyday as my travel time is 3 hours. As taxing as it gets, it does give one ample time to think about a lot of stuff. After the bills, shopping lists, weekend plans, work tensions, infrequent gym issues are tackled in the mind, one has the chance to open up and be selfless enough to ponder over another human being. Probably the only selfless act in the day. I love to gaze endlessly outside my window. At people and places I have no connection with. I switch to the detached mode very often. It helps in hearing your inner voice. Try it. Look around on a busy day, the streets, tiny 2 by 4 stores that fill the ends of the road like a lace along a chiffon veil. Look around and you will see how people live and die in their square foot of happyness.

These are the only few enlightening minutes to my day. My heart reaches out to them. I feel like walking along that road and do nothing but observe. More like an invisible spectator. An urge to travel into their minds to read their thoughts. In their eyes I see small spaces weaving big dreams. Most of them would never see outside that square foot. Yet they live, yet they dream. When I weigh their life with my thoughts, I feel how trivial my worries are. How meaningless my life is and, how I can never look above daily chores and shortcomings.

The ride to work has evolved me. The tiny shops along the road showed me a mirror. Like me, most of us have forgotten to find life in small things. We’re imprisoned in a cobweb of insignificance. All that matters is that square foot of happyness to add meaning to our lives, no matter how high we scale. Living life in small portions and cherishing it is the key to inner peace. I know I seem like a saint. My dear ones worry that I might one day renounce worldly pleasures. I beg to differ because I’m still hovering around insignificance with my new blackberry.

On a lighter, less profound note, I hope we all take a moment out of our busy life, stop, look into that mirror, and trace back to our square foot of happyness.